News Report fromVR World Headquarters

Summer 1997

In Which:
We have a close encounter with the GLF
The VR Welcomes a New Minister of Fun
W.H. McCoy II returns to the ranch - plans to build a porch !

One day this summer while tromping around in the rain at our favorite - SECRET - fishing spot (the famous Sector 47) it appeared, from a distance, that someone had placed a small garden gnome in the tall grass to act as a marker of some sort. We had just been reading about the recent liberation of 119 Garden Gnomes by the GLF of Limoges, France .. so ...we thought maybe they had been in the area. Upon closer inspection, this "gnome" turned out to be an actual person ..... and quite a funny one at that. Evidently he had been standing there in the grass, holding this difficult "Crane" position for quite some time and become rather stiff. Please see the illustration # 1 above. He informed us that he had taken up the ancient oriental art of Tai Chi in order to improve the focus of his attention on the tricky fishing conditions in the area. This was a most IMPRESSIVE idea indeed ....in fact ..... a rather brilliant idea .... particularly as the RP has never been able to land a fish at this dastardly spot. For a few minutes he gazed about the water deep in thought. As he was thinking and concentrating very hard, an enormous rainbow sprang from his head. We've seen some pretty weird stuff around here at the ranch but this was really over the top! We stood there watching....waiting to see what might happen next. After loosening up his joints and picking up his rod, our new friend strode directly into the water and promptly proceeded to catch an enormous Brown Trout using a simple Elk Hair Caddis. If he hadn't turned out to be such an amiable fellow, I'm sure we all would have just pushed him into the water and driven off home in a cloud of dust, but instead we decided to make him a Minister of Fun......The Minister of Bright Ideas..... Please see illustration # 2 below. This is all very nice BUT if he catches any more big fish in Sector 47 we might have to turn him over to the GLF for installation in a Paris garden.

It is with a very special pleasure that the VR announces the return of our former mixologist and co-founder of  The Margarita Stand, W.H.McCoy II. After completely disapearing for about 8 months .....one day totally out of the blue we received the following telegram from the Bahamas.

"Perhaps I will consider building a small covered porch so in rainy weather we can still enjoy ourselves without getting soaked. Yet another brilliant idea from the owner. "

There was no signature but it appeared to have been sent from Tortola. About three days later Mr. McCoy appeared at the ranch. Although there is still some minor confusion over the exact share allocation between the original owners - it's nothing that can't be settled with a few trick pool shots. After spending a few days at the main house catching up with everybody, checking on his horse and organizing his gear he took off for his old camp up by The Margarita Stand in order to work on his project. He's been there ever since, hammering away and inventing new drinks in the evening. Earlier this afternoon, Jesper rode in to deliver this report from him on the progress of the stand.